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Plasma in the Waste Treatment Industry

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Handbook of Thermal Plasmas

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Abstract

The treatment of waste materials is a social and economic problem that has grown rapidly over the last few decades. Relatively simple solutions such as landfill depository and ocean dump sites are no more an option due to the sheer volume of the waste material generated and their long-term negative impact on the environment. The problem is compounded by the wide variety of the waste material generated by our society ranging from municipal solid waste to hazardous industrial waste and low-level radioactive waste. In this chapter, a brief introduction provides some statistics on the volume and composition of waste materials generated across the world and different waste classifications that are commonly used. This is followed by a review of current waste treatment technologies for three broad groups of waste materials, namely:

  • Municipal solid waste materials

  • Industrial waste materials

  • Low-level radioactive waste materials

In each of these groups, attention is given to the unique role thermal plasma technology can play for the safe and reliable treatment of the waste material and niche opportunities for the recovery of valuable products from the waste. In a field as vast and diversified as waste treatment, it is unrealistic to attempt to treat it in an exhaustive manner in a single chapter. Emphasis is therefore given to providing typical examples of some of the leading technologies developed over the past few decades with adequate references for further information.

Emil Pfender died before publication of this work was completed.

E. Pfender: deceased.

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Abbreviations

AC:

Alternating current

ACW:

Asbestos-containing waste

ASR:

Automobile shredder residue

BF:

Blast furnace

BOF:

Basic oxygen furnace

CFC:

Chlorofluorocarbon

CFC-11:

Trichlorofluoromethane, CFCl3

CFC-113:

Trichlorotrifluoroethane, C2F3Cl3

CFC-114:

Dichlorotetrafluoroethane, C2F4Cl2

CFC-115:

Chloropentafluoroethane, C2F5Cl

CFC-12:

Dichlorodifluoromethane, CF2Cl2

CFD:

Converter flue dust

CMP:

Center for materials production

CP:

Compressor

CPCB:

Central Pollution Control Board

CPI:

Chemical process industries

DC:

Direct current

DENOX:

Nitrogen oxide removal system

DREs:

Destruction and removal efficiencies

EAF:

Electric arc furnace

EDF:

Electricité de France

EDM:

Engineering development model

EPA:

Environmental Protection Agency

EPI:

Electroplating industry

EPRI:

Electric Power Research Institute

EW:

Electronic waste

GHG:

Greenhouse gases

HCFC-134a:

Tetrafluoroethane, CH2FCF3

HCFC-22:

Chlorodifluoromethane, CHClF2

HEPA:

High-efficiency particulate arrestance

HLW:

High-level liquid waste

HPS:

Hot plating sludge

HSW:

Hospital solid waste

HTS:

High-temperature shift

HW:

Hazardous waste

HWM:

Hazardous waste materials

IET:

Integrated environmental technology

IPGCC:

Integrated plasma gasification combined cycle

IWM:

Industrial waste materials

IWT:

Industrial waste treatment

LD:

Linz-Donawitz

LHS:

Left-hand side

LLRW:

Low-level radioactive materials

LLW:

Low-level nuclear waste

LNG:

Liquefied natural gas

LTS:

Low-temperature shift

MSW:

Municipal solid waste

MW:

Medical waste

NMP:

Nonmetallic product

ODSs:

Ozone-depleting substances

PACT:

Plasma-arc centrifugal treatment

PAG:

Plasma-arc gasification

PAHWTS:

Plasma-arc hazardous waste treatment system

PAWDS:

Plasma-arc waste destruction system

PCB:

Printed circuit boards

PCBs:

Polychlorinated biphenyls

PCC:

Post-combustion chamber

PCDDs:

Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins

PCDFs:

Polychlorinated dibenzofurans

PE:

Polyethylene

PEC:

Plasma Energy Corporation

PEM:

Plasma-enhanced melter

PET:

Polyethylene terephthalate

PGM:

Platinum group metals

PMW:

Paper mill waste

POM:

Prescription-only medicines

PP:

Polypropylene

PPC:

Primary processing chamber

PS:

Polystyrene

PSA:

Pressure swing adsorption

PSW:

Plastic solid waste

PVC:

Polyvinyl chloride

RDF:

Refuse-derived fuel

RF:

Radio frequency

RHS:

Right-hand side

RSF:

Rotary salt furnace

SCR:

Selective catalytic reduction

SEER:

Specific electrical energy requirement

SER:

Specific energy requirement

SLRG:

Soda lime recycled glass

SPME:

Solid-phase microextraction system

SSW:

Sewage sludge waste

TA:

Transferred arc

TBP:

Tributylphosphate

TPD:

Ton per day

TPT:

Thermal plasma technology

WEEE:

Waste electrical and electronic equipment

WGS:

Water-gas shift

WM:

Waste materials

WPT:

Waste-processing technologies

WSAP:

Water-stabilized arc plasma

WtE:

Waste-to-energy

Abbreviations

Al in :

Aluminum metal in the dross charge (kg)

AlN :

Aluminum nitride (kg)

Al cast :

Aluminum metal recovered (kg)

Al NMP :

Aluminum metal in NMP (kg)

η e :

Process efficiency (%) Eq. 10

η r :

Aluminum recovery (%) Eq. 9

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biotechnology Engineering, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

    Maher I. Boulos & Jerzy W. Jurewicz

  2. Sciences des Procédés Céramiques et de Traitements de Surface (SPCTS), Université de Limoges, Limoges, France

    Pierre L. Fauchais

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Emil Pfender

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  1. Maher I. Boulos
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  2. Jerzy W. Jurewicz
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  3. Pierre L. Fauchais
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  4. Emil Pfender
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Correspondence to Maher I. Boulos .

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Boulos, M.I., Jurewicz, J.W., Fauchais, P.L., Pfender, E. (2023). Plasma in the Waste Treatment Industry. In: Handbook of Thermal Plasmas. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12183-3_40-1

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